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Charges: Man Fired Shots In Downtown St. Paul

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 22-year-old man faces shooting and gun possession charges for allegedly firing shots at people in downtown St. Paul two days before Christmas in an apparent gang-related scuffle, court documents say.

Dominique Williams is charged with one count of shooting a gun in drive-by fashion and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm. The charges stem from a Dec. 23, 2012, incident that happened near the intersection of Fifth Street East and Minnesota Street, by the US Bank building.

According to a criminal complaint, a 17-year-old girl told police she was driving her mother’s car with two young passengers when she saw some of her boyfriend’s friends. She identified them as Williams and 21-year-old Johnny Butler. She said Williams asked for a ride to a laundromat, but before he got in the car, he put a small bag in the trunk.

When they got to Fifth Street and Minnesota, Williams told the girl to stop the car. Williams and Butler then got out and began to fight with people on the street. During the scuffle, Williams went to the trunk and removed a silver revolver, which was wrapped in a black bandana. He walked in front of the girl’s car and shot the revolver three times, the girl said. Williams and Butler then got back into the car and told the girl to drive off.

Williams and Butler belong to the Bounty Hunter Bloods, and Williams shot at member of the East Side Boys, the girl said.

Cameras on Metro Transit buses captured the shooting; and one of the girl’s young passengers spoke to police, saying that Williams and Butler confronted people on the street and that Williams shot at two people who were running up in the skyway.

A security officer found a bullet hole in the thick skyway glass; it appeared to be from a .40-caliber handgun. Blood droplets were also found near the intersection of the incident. The criminal complaint, however, said nothing of anyone seeking treatment for a gunshot wound in relation to the incident.

When being interviewed by police on Jan. 3, Williams denied his involvement in the incident. He admitted to knowing Butler and seeing him that day, but he denied being downtown and shooting a gun.

Butler told police a different story. He said he was in the girl’s car during the shooting, but he denied knowing or seeing the shooter.

If convicted for both charges, Williams faces a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. If convicted of just the firearm possession charge, he faces a minimum penalty of 5 years in prison. Williams is not eligible to have a gun due to a 2010 robbery conviction.

Williams is currently in custody and made his first appearance Friday at the Law Enforcement Center, officials said.